The Seventy First Level
by passionately happy
Summary: Due to his insistence to stay away from Ghostbusters, Twenty-First Century films about coitus and/or World War II inspired Avenger movie marathons on Saturdays, Steve comes across the unknown seventy-first floor, and its contents allow him to discover a man behind his mask and aide him in finding better ways to deal with the painful memories of those who perished in his time.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Why, hello there!

Mind if I introduce myself? I'm passionately happy, and I'm a new fan of the Avengers. Some history: my mom, on a lovely no-school day, forced me and my sister to watch the Avengers, to supposedly cure our "scaredy-cat issues." Naturally, I refused, but after seeing the trailer, I came to an epiphany about how non-terrifying it is (well, minus the Hulk, but he's not a unicorn painted in rainbow colors, so how can he not be scary?). So I watched. And I instantly fell in love with the addition of the Clint/Natasha pending-romance, the display of Pepperony, Thor, Loki and their family issues, Bruce and his rage issues (which like Tony, I've grown to become a fan of), and the whole Captain America thing, especially the "You're one of my men, but I want to throw you off your own tower" business between Tony and Steve. Add boredom, Chris Evans singing and my insistence to procrastinate in studying for math and thus this was born!

General Summary: Due to his insistence to stay away from Ghostbusters, Twenty-First Century films about coitus and/or World War II inspired movie marathons on Saturdays, Steve schelpps and explores Stark Tower when he reaches the unknown seventy-first floor. The contents of this floor help Steve heal from his past and allow him to discover a man behind his mask and aide him in finding better ways to deal with the painful memories of those who perished in his time.

Pairings: Clint/Natasha, Tony/Pepper, mentions of Thor/Jane, Bruce/Betty and Steve/Peggy

Friendships: Tony/Steve [dominant], All Avengers to each other, mentions of Steve/Bucky, Steve/Howard.

Let's get started on this potential multi-chap, shall we?

Another note: I think rating will change, but let's see.

* * *

~.~

Steve Rogers schlepped through the floors of the newly-christened Avengers Tower, twirling his elevator key around his pointer finger.

A smile graced Steve's face as he pondered about how close the Avengers are to each other. Although things between Steve and Tony had been tense at first (articulated by his insistence to 'suit up' and his unsaid words about 'throwing him off the goddamned helicarrier'- who said Captain America can't swear?), they had eventually grown close once Tony had invited all the Avengers to live in his tower along with himself and Pepper, assigning them each floors of the building exclusive to them. Non-virginal noises and hulk-freak outs aside, Steve appreciated the sentiment and as a action of gratitude, settled to have a drink from time to time with his new iron best bud (He also made sure to suggest Banner and Thor share the basement, for Thor seemed to be the only one willing to calm the other guy down, should he come out. As well, he asked Jarvis to soundproof Tony and Pepper's room when they are 'doing the nasty', a colorful term adapted by Steve from the smirking Hawkeye.)

As much as he loved the new extravagant living quarters provided for him (Steve admired the Captain America emblem adorning each corner of his sixty-sixth floor- he made sure to thank Pepper and compliment her interior decorating skills.) and the new friends he was making through the Avengers initiative, Steve couldn't help thinking about Peggy, Bucky, Howard and all the other people dear to his heart that had perished since his lapse in the Artic. Steve still remembered the feeling of Peggy's soft, pink lips against his, the waver in his voice as he promised her a dance, plummeting in the merciless, cold and frigid Artic snow. Howard and his smirk, akin to his son in the present day, his resilience and the spark in his eye. But most of all, he thought of his best friend Bucky and their fingers brushing against each other before he was blasted out of the train and sent falling _down, down, down_ into the distant frozen lake below. Steve's heart clenched as all the faces of his friends flipped through his mind, and the tears would fall into the safety of his hands because _there can't be any proof of this and Captain America cannot, does not and will not cry._ ("But_ Steve _does," the three ghosts plaguing his mind would whisper.)

Naturally, he's strayed away from joining the rest of the Avengers when there is a Ghostbusters, Twenty-first century film about coitus and/or World War II inspired movie marathon in the house. He instead opts to explore the tower, which on this bright, akin gloomy Saturday night had some sort of magical feeling to it. Reaching the elevator and checking the directory to see where his location is (_Level 35- Armour exhibit: Iron Man and his many variations of his suit- $45 a person!_), he let the tour group (Tony had even gotten a tour guide for his exhibit- Steve wondered how Pepper let that happen; she would never had let Tony exhibit his egocentric traits, as far as Steve was concerned) go to the first elevator and took the second one, his elevator key secured in his hand.

As soon as he was in the elevator, Steve jammed the key into the panel that would reveal access to the floors available to the Avengers. Opening the panel, Steve scanned his options, raising an eyebrow at one that seemingly had just appeared out of nowhere.

"Jarvis?" Steve inquired quietly, staring at the button.

"Yes, sir?" The AI responded.

"What is this seventy-first floor?" Steve eyes the number warily. As far as he was concerned, there were only seventy floors in the Avengers (formerly Stark) tower. The panel held the levels held exclusive for the Avengers- Level Seventy as the hangout zone for all the superheroes, sixty-nine for Tony and Pepper, sixty-eight and sixty-seven for Natasha and Clint, sixty-six for himself, zero for Bruce and Thor (Which was very grand- hulk proof glass and 'thunder god' rings for Thor to practice his 'thunder god thing' in.), level negative one which served as the training center for all the Avengers (located underground along with Bruce and Thor's floor- very magnificently large as well, so Bruce can unleash the other guy without it being claustrophobic or risking any lives; another round of applause on Pepper's part.), and the laboratory and meditation center on level 2. Steve had ridden up and down these elevators many times and practically had memorized the panel and its options; it would be an understatement to state that he was disoriented.

"Ah, I am afraid I cannot say," Jarvis responds, and Steve can hear a hint of a smile ("Can Artificial Intelligence Machines have feelings? I wouldn't be surprised if Jarvis started sounding like he just got off his monthly cycle," Clint had said one day, acquiring a smack to the head courtesy of Natasha.) in the AI's voice. "Why don't you go up to that floor and see, sir? I promise you will like it."

"Is this one of Tony's practical jokes?" Steve asked warily. "I thought there were only seventy floors in this building."

"No, you've just taken a special elevator, sir," responded Jarvis.

"I've taken this elevator many times!" Steve arched an eyebrow.

"Hmm.. Well, according to my elevator activity log, you've never taken this car, you always take the one on the left, sir," Jarvis states. "Or I assume you take the stairs, but you have never used this car."

"That's bizarre," Steve muttered to himself.

"I'm sorry, what was that, sir?"

"Nothing, Jarvis," Steve assured the AI, his curious and inquiste nature tempting him to follow the yellow brick road (or rather, the elevator car) to the unknown place (level). "I suppose I'll head to level seventy-one?"

"I knew you would, sir," Jarvis noted. "Would you rather I send you up or would you like to press the button?"

"I would like to press the button," Steve responds, and he sets off to encounter the unknown.

~.~

"I really think we should have a theme song," Tony pipes up from the bar, shoving a packet of microwavable popcorn into the microwave.

"Really? A theme song?" Bruce snickers from the couch as he drinks from a can of Dr. Pepper, his eyes trained on the wrestling match adorning Tony's television.

"Yeah! It could be like 'It's Iron Man'!" Tony sings. "It would have everyone swooning from Los Angeles to Sydney!"

"Need I remind you of the other five people on the team?" Natasha shoots a death glare at the self-proclaimed 'genius, billionaire, philanthropist', stretching her legs out onto the table as she cuddled into Clint.

"That is not very nice of you, man of iron!" Thor booms (because he always booms, for he is Thor) right into Pepper's ear, and reaches for a handful of the remaining popcorn kernels in the bowl of the sixth packet of microwave popcorn they had finished.

Pepper winces and begins to rub her ear. "Honey, can I have a can of Dr. Pepper?"

"Why, sure... Dr. Pepper," Tony winks, and Pepper rolls her eyes at her boyfriend's joke. "Would you like it cold or hot? I prefer my Pepper hot."

"Oh my God," Natasha moans, clearly annoyed and disturbed. She lets go of Clint to turn around and look Tony in the eye to exhibit her annoyance and disgust."Tony, can you please just shut up? I really don't need to hear your innuendoes right now."

"Cheers to that," Bruce raises up his can. Natasha beams at him and Clint hugs Natasha possessively to his body, clearly jealous of the rarer-than-rare smile being shot to anyone else than him.

Thor just looks confused.

"Jarvis, what should we watch now?" Tony asks the AI as he reaches into his fridge to get a Dr. Pepper for Pepper.

"Let me get that for you, sir," Jarvis extends a robot hand to grab the can of high-fructose corn syrup and hands it over to Pepper. "Here you go, Ms. Potts."

"Why, thank you, Jarvis!" Pepper thanks the AI.

"May I suggest, sir, since this is a night of many historic wonders, that you watch 'The Life and Times of The Patriots?'" Jarvis suggests.

"Isn't that Capsicle's life story, or something based off of that?" Tony inquires, reaching into the microwave to pull out the popcorn and pour it into a bowl, which was instantly grabbed by Thor and devoured by the superheroes.

"Yes it is, sir," Jarvis responds.

"Maybe he's going to like it then," Tony says out loud. "Do you think he'll watch, Jarvis? It's very strange to do an Avengers tradition without him, no matter how much of a pain in the ass he could be."

"You think he's a pain in the ass?" Clint asks incredulously. Natasha, Thor and Bruce stare at Tony wide-eyed, testing his patience as Pepper stares amusedly at the television.

Tony rolls his eyes. "Pep, I'm gonna go look for Capsicle. Do you wanna stay put or come with me?"

"Neither," Pepper responds. "Nataha and I were just planning to go to her floor to chill, do each other's hair, mani-pedis, those type of stuff."

"Er... Have fun?" waves Tony as the two girls skip into the elevator car. "Jarvis, any whereabouts on Capsicle?"

"I think he's in his room, sir," Jarvis responded, sounding guarded.

Tony narrows his eyes. "Jarvis, is there something you need to tell me?"

"Nothing at all, sir," Jarvis replies.

"Alrighty then. I'll be back," Tony summons himself into an elevator car as he bids adieu (but not really) to Thor, Bruce and Clint.

"Hulk says bye," Bruce jokes lightly as the elevator doors shut.

"My friends, I do not understand the joke the man of iron had bestowed on us earlier," Thor pipes up. "What did he mean by 'he likes his Pepper hot?'"

~.~

"Wow," Steve breathes out as he takes in his surroundings.

"I presume everything is to your liking, sir," Jarvis speaks from out of nowhere.

"Of course," he says, dazed as he walks further away from the elevator and into the level.

The level didn't have a long winding hallway and rooms like any other level. Instead, it was just a room (a very big room) with red velvet carpets and artistic items strewn everywhere. Steve picks up a pencil and sketchbook laying on a white couch and started sketching his surroundings, a smile blooming on his face as he drew.

"Jarvis, can this be my hangout place?" Steve inquires, smiling.

"Why, of course, sir! A great artist like yourself shall find great joy in the artist's palace," The AI exclaims. "But don't get excited too yet- you haven't seen the whole level yet."

"There's more?" Steve's eyes shine with boyish excitement.

"Indeed," Jarvis says. "Shall I show you on a tour?"

"I would appreciate that," Steve says softly, still in awe at the artist's palace.

"Alright then, sir," Jarvis responds, and to Steve's chagrin, a go cart appeared in the middle of the room. "Climb in!"

Curious, Steve climbed into the go cart, a pack of pencils and his new sketchbook in his hands. "Does Tony allow people up here?"

"Contrary to popular belief, Mr. Stark is generous and I assume he would allow his fellow avengers in his penthouse," Jarvis offered up as an explanation. "And should I be erroneous in my assumptions, I am positive Ms. Potts on the other hand would allow you."

"Well, alright then, Jarvis," Steve replies.

"Shall I start the tour, sir?" Jarvis inquires, reaching out a robotic hand to reach into the penthouse's mini-fridge to acquire a Dr. Pepper for Steve, which he accepted with a thanks. "There is more to this level than what meets the eye."

"Yes you may, Jarvis," Steve says as he is whisked through the unknown level. "I am always ready for an adventure."

~.~

* * *

**A/N: **Wheuu! And there you have it. The first chapter! Review, mes amis!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Yay, two reviews! -throws confetti up in the air-

jack2724 and TheGoldenTrioLivesOn: Thanks for the feedback! I hope you continue reading! Virtual cookies for both of you. -smiley face-

Shall we commence?

* * *

~.~

Tony was getting worried.

Contrary to popular belief, he cared for people other than himself- Pepper a prime example of this sentiment. As well, he had (although reluctantly ) grew close to his fellow Avengers, and it pained his heart to do things without the whole group.

Like movie night, per se.

And that's why Tony set off to look for the formerly-frozen Captain, in order to convince him to join his fellow avengers on their allotted movie night. However, there was no sighting of the avenger in question in the Avengers tower (or at least, according to Jarvis)- not one star or colored stripe of him.

Once Tony had trolled through the sixty-sixth level of the tower (_All things Captain America!_) and found no body adorned with blue, red, white or that hideous murky brown leather jacket that screamed 1940s, he set off to check the gym, which revealed the same results.

"Jarvis," Tony moaned as he schlepped out of the gym and (literally) crawled into the elevator in a hazy panic. "Where is Capsicle?"

"You are going to have to keep looking, sir," Jarvis sounded absolutely delighted at hiding Steve's whereabouts.

Tony growled and pressed level 2 on the panel, which was left open to his chagrin. "Can you at least tell me if he's in the building? I don't really feel like calling all the boxing gyms at 11 at night and ask if there has been a Captain America sighting."

"Oh, goodness, no sir," Jarvis trills. "I assure you, Mr. Rogers is present in the building."

"Now can you tell me where?" Tony's voice rose in pitches as the elevator began to move.

"That is for me to know and for you to find out, sir," Jarvis seems to laugh.

"Find out I will," Tony responds, stepping out of the elevator as it opens and heading into the surveillance room.

"Sir, I advise you not to set forth with your train of thought," Jarvis switches off the televisions in the room as Tony scans the various surveillance cameras.

"Jarvis, I have the power to unplug you," Tony warns, his arc reactor growing brighter at his frustration.

"As you wish, sir," Jarvis sighs, and the screens flicker to life. Tony scans each one- the avengers hanging out on level 70, the hallways of each of the Avenger's floors, a security officer in the main lobby devouring a box of Dunkin' Donuts, a blonde smurfing around the seventy-first-

Wait a minute.

A person on the seventy-first floor? With wide eyes, Tony peered at the surveillance screen to see if his blonde intruder was Pepper; it wasn't. Then he noticed the leather brown jacket and the go cart with a scowl. "Jarvis, are you taking him on a tour?"

"My apologies, sir," Jarvis apologizes halfheartedly. "I assumed you would allow him up- it is on the panel after all."

"When you assume, you make an ass out of you and me," Tony snarled peevishly.

"You only live once, sir," Jarvis replies cheerily.

Tony grunts. "Well, alright, don't stop the tour, but once it's finished, there will be hell to pay. No one goes in my penthouse of the arts without my permission! How'd he even get up there anyway? Doesn't he alway take the elevator on the left because of his weird preferences? And why is he the first one discovering this penthouse? The other Avengers took elevators to get up to movie night!"

"Mr. Banner and Mr. Odinson prefer to take the stairs due to Mr. Banner's claustrophobic condition and therefore had never used an elevator in their time here at Avengers tower," Jarvis responds. "Mr. Barton adores the speed of the right elevator and Ms. Romanoff prefers to scale the side of the building. Mr. Rogers was kind enough to let a tour guide through from your museum to his regular elevator and for your information, sir, Ms. Romanoff is the only Avenger besides you who is aware of the existence of this penthouse, but chooses not to go up."

Tony stared incredulously at Jarvis' speaker. "Nice to know, Jarvis."

"A pleasure, sir," Jarvis trills as Tony marches to the elevator and heads up to the seventy-first floor.

~.~

"Welcome to level seventy-one," Jarvis says as the go cart navigates through the level.

Steve gapes in awe at the red carpet hallways and the paintings on the wall. "Did Pepper pick these out?" he asked, directing the AI's attention to a painting of vibrant hues.

"Yes, Ms. Potts does have an eye for interior decorating," Jarvis lightly chuckles, surprising and amusing the Captain to no end.

Steve lay back of the go cart's chair in elation. "As relaxing as this is, Jarvis, why are we only going back and forth?"

"Because I am programmed to drive this car back and forth," Jarvis replies. "If you want to explore the level without the expanse of going back and forth, I suggest you get out of the car now, sir."

"Well, alright," the super soldier grunted, standing up and stretching as he stepped out of the go cart.

"Would you like to continue on this tour?" Jarvis asks from the end of the hallway behind him. Steve turns around to see a hologram of an arrow in the air. "Given your biography, I think I have something that would delight you. Just follow the arrows."

Steve gleefully runs towards the hologram. "Well, if you say so."

~.~

"Mother of God," Steve whispers as he slips into the room.

Breathless, Steve slips the forgotten pack of pencils an sketchbook into his leather jacket and steps further into the room. Steve ghosts his hand over a dusty piano sitting close to the door and gapes at the room, a red and gold music note haven.

To say that Steve was in awe would be an understatement. Back before discovering the devotion of fighting for his country and the role of Captain America, Steve had wanted to be a musician. Bucky had taught him in an attempt to 'pick up dames', and Steve had quickly caught on. He particularly loved to croon Frank Sinatra and Glenn Miller when he felt brave. However, no matter how good the general public (Bucky) said he was, the war had roused his interest and that particular career went to be long forgotten in the events that followed.

Except when Bucky died. As their fingers brushed together before his best friend was thrown off to his impending death, memories of a time before all the drama flashed through his mind and he reminisced Bucky's hands guiding Steve's fingers to the right strings, the swell of pride in his voice when Steve would finally play the right tune.

The feeling he got when Bucky fell, screaming all the way down.

His pain shining over his excitement, Steve collapsed onto one of the white couches, looking out the larger-than-life window that overlooked the streets of New York City. Looking down at the pedestrians below, Steve spotted a girl with a guitar standing at the foot of the intersection. Curious, Steve asked Jarvis for a pair of binoculars and focused his attention on the girl.

Steve winced once he saw the girl. There were bruises adorning her face, a cut at the edge of her eyebrow. But yet, she stood there smiling, playing her guitar and singing her heart out, even when she is ignored by the general public.

Inspired, Steve eyes the many instruments around the room until he spots a collection of the guitars. Grabbing a modern electric guitar, he holds it close as he walks back to the couch and grabs at a pile of sheet music on the table in front of him. Acquiring a sheet fit for a electric guitar, he clears his throat and winces as he begins to sing gravelly akin slowly.

"_Strangers waiting up and down a boulevard, their shadows searching in the night..._" Steve begins. He strums the guitar softly, before imagining all the people he had left behind- Howard, Bucky, Peggy- were watching him now, and a smile quickly upturns his face. He begins to strum the guitar faster, and imagines the smiles on his dear friends' faces. "_Streetlight people..._"

~.~

"_Livin' just a fine emotion! Hiding somewhere in the night!_"

"I need a drink," Tony grunted. "Jarvis, what the hell is that?"

"That's Mr. Rogers, sir," Jarvis replies.

The self-proclaimed billionaire crept through the hallways of the seventy-first floor, pinpointing the source of the sound. Sure enough, it was Steve, which pissed him off to no end. Before he could storm into the room and unleash a variation of hulk-like rage into him, the expression on the Captain's face stopped him in his tracks.

Steve seemed to be... genuinely happy. A bright smile adorned his features and his baby blue eyes shone as he continued to sing the medley and Tony realized how he had never seen the Captain in this element. He watched Steve dance around the room, giddy at the utter delight on his friend's face.

"Would you like me to inform him of your presence, sir?" Jarvis inquires.

"Leave him as he is," Tony replies, smiling as Steve plays a guitar solo. "He seems to be at home."

~.~

"What is that?" Bruce asks, sounding dangerously annoyed.

Clint jerks up from the couch and quickly positions himself away from Bruce, hiding behind Thor. "I think it's a rock band," he says timidly, as if speaking at a normal level would aide the Hulk in his release.

Thor looks horrified. "You Midgardians throw stones at each other?"

~.~

* * *

**A/N: **And there you have it! Chapter two!

So j'ai un question: Do you like how the story is progressing so far? Answer in the reviews, and if we reach about 10 reviews, I'll give the tenth reviewer a sneak peek of the next chapter! So stay tuned!

#IadoreThor; #onelinersFTW

Keep Calm and Avenge On!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Hello, my fellow Avenging fanatics!

Apologies for not updating for the past few weeks- exams came up and I had to put every ounce of energy inside me towards my studies. If only there was some sort of serum of some kind that would make me enjoy all that studying...

[Lolcatz. Never.]

But it's the weekend, and the only test I have left is English on Tuesday. And writing is a branch of Language Arts, so I figured trolling the Avengers archive [reading comprehension] and updating a story for y'all would be sufficient enough for studying.

Anyway...

10 reviews, and I'm feeling accomplished. Wheuu! I'm pree hyped up- for this story is just getting started!

Thank you to my reviewers: hullabalooh, jack2724, TheGoldenTrioLivesOn, Kiseki, violet-hana, vampyfreak and Radioactive Isotopes as well as a special mention to my tenth reviewer, TheDanaDobreAKAToshiroLover.

In response to a few questions:

violet-hana: Youtube 'Chris Evans singing'. Many videos will pop up. Click one and fangirl. -smiley face-

Let's start! And please, leave a review!

* * *

~.~

Steve felt like he was on top of the world.

With the guitar in his hands, he felt free. Invincible. Untouchable. For when he had this magical instrument in his grasp, all the drama from his life seemed to slip away, and left in its place was not Captain America. Just Steve.

As the song came to an end, Steve stood still, catching his breath. He had something akin to a hummingbird's heartbeat, a magical and appalling feeling.

"Bravo, sir!" Jarvis says, approval evident in the AI's voice. "An excellent choice of song."

Steve sighs dreamily, placing the guitar down and collapsing onto he couch. "I sure hope I made you guys smile up there," Steve whispers to the window. "I love y-"

_-CRASH!_

Steve jerks out of his reverie, startled. Quickly turning his attention to the door to find the source of the noise, the super soldier catches a flash of brown hair in his peripheral vision.

The super soldier chases after him, relying completely on his senses. As soon as he finished circumnavigating the whole level and finds nothing, he sighs in exasperation.

"What in the name of God was that?" he wondered out loud. "Jarvis? Who - or what- was that?"

Jarvis seemed to hesitate before answering. "That was Mr. Stark, sir. He was wondering why there was a person on the seventy-first floor."

"You said I was allowed to come up here- I wouldn't have had if you had told me otherwise!" Steve gapes in the direction of Jarvis' voice. "Does he know it was me?"

"No," the AI responds, perhaps a little hastily. Steve raises an eyebrow, suspicious. "Only Ms. Potts and myself are aware of the identity of who is up here. Mr. Stark has only thought to have identified a person. However, for safety precautions, I recommend that you keep your presence on this floor a secret from Mr. Stark."

Steve ponders, skeptical. Eventually, he accepts the explanation. But instead of retreating back into the music room, he jabs the call button for the elevator.

"Would you like to join Mr. Banner, Agent Barton and Mr. Odinson for a viewing of No Strings Attached?" Jarvis asks as the elevator arrives.

Steve shudders. "I think I'm going to turn in for the night, Jarvis. I'm not quite in the mood to watch films about skimpily-clad persons, especially at," Steve steps inside the elevator and checks the clock, "10:46 at night."

"Alright sir," Jarvis programs the elevator car to head to Steve's floor without Steve having to use the panel.

~.~

Panting, Tony shuffles into the elevator, jabbing the button to get to his shared level with Pepper. As the elevator begins its downward descent, Tony collapses onto the floor of the car, exhausted.

"Holy Toledo," he breathes out. He did not understand why he ran away in fear of being seen- it is his building after all, so he could justify exactly why he'd been creeping. _If only I hadn't knocked over that potted plant..._

The elevator jerks to a sudden halt and Tony steps out woozily, immediately heading to his room onto his big fluffy bed to clear his thoughts.

The seventy-first floor was supposed to be a secret! Tony thinks, infuriated. How the hell  
did he get through it? It just doesn't make any s-

"-you did implant a way to get up there through the elevators, sir," Jarvis pipes in.

Tony jerks his head upwards towards the general direction of Jarvis' voice. Exhaling sharply, he pulls the covers on top of his head, muttering angrily.

Wisely, Jarvis shuts off the lights.

~.~

_Sunday_  
_Avengers Tower_  
_Level 70, Avengers hangout area_  
_8:21 am_

~.~

"Good morrow, my friends!" Thor booms as he enters the currently-breakfast-inspired-hangout-area, making a beeline for the pop tarts on the table.

Steve grabs a strawberry pop tart before Thor sits down, anticipating his fellow Avenger to place the whole plate in his mouth.

Once again, his assumptions were correct.

Clint lets out a strangled sound. "I wanted a pop tart!"

"Slow down there, Shakespeare in the park," a coy, mocking voice comes from the door, and the Avengers turn to see Tony smirking. "Wouldn't want to fracture a rib, would we now?"

Thor shoots him a look, crumbs falling from his mouth.

"Morning, Stark," Natasha mutters into her pancakes.

"Anne of Green Gables," Tony responds, earning a wicked glare from Natasha. Smirking, he turns his attention to Clint. "You look rather distraught, Legolas. No pop tart left for you?"

"Don't mock my pain, Stark," Clint, eerily similar to Natasha, shoots him a glare with what seemed as the same level of intensity that his fellow assassin had shot at the billionaire a few mere moments ago. "Just sit down and eat something."

"Gladly," Tony snickers, placing himself in between Bruce and Steve. Sharing a secret science-bro smile with Bruce and acknowledging his presence by handing him a Hulk-shaped pancake that he had pulled seemingly out of nowhere, he diverts his attention to Steve.

"What's up, Steve?"

Surprised at the non-usage of nicknames, Steve's eyes boggles. "I'm currently eating a pop tart, as you can see."

"Besides that," Tony stares at the younger/older man, a look of  
intensity and knowledge in his eyes.

Steve stares back confusedly. "Erm, I've been working out?"

Tony stares and stares some more, making Steve and the other Avengers fidget awkwardly in their seats. Thankfully, the silence is broken by a panicked Pepper, still clad in Hello Kitty pajamas. "I am so sorry, Tony, the alarm clock didn't work in Natasha's room! Have you suited up yet?"

Tony draws his eyes away from a cringing Steve. "S'alright, Pep," he says, shooting a loving smile at his lover. "Today's Sunday- it's your day off. As long as you had fun having a sleepover with Anne of Green Gables here, it's s'all good."

Natasha shoots Tony another look, which the billionaire bizarrely ignored.

"You have a meeting with the shareholders today," Pepper deadpans.

"I am aware of that, yes," Tony raises an eyebrow at his girlfriend.

Pepper sighs and plops down on the chair at the head of the table. "Some coffee, Jarvis. Please."

The smell of brewing coffee spread through the hangout area, making each Avenger sniff at the air with an irrational type of lust.

Tony looks at the faces of each of his fellow Avengers, his gaze lingering on Steve more than it had been on Bruce. Sighing, he nabs a sausage off Clint's plate (ignoring Clint's protests), and stands up to exit the premises.

"Where are you going?" Pepper asks.

"I'm going to start getting ready for the meeting," Tony jabs his finger on the elevator button and steps in without another word to his fellow Avengers, shooting an indecipherable look to Steve.

Pepper watches worriedly as her boyfriend retreated away from his fellow cohorts. "I'm going to go see what's wrong," she says, before shooting up and calling an elevator as well.

"Miss Potts, your coffee?" Jarvis asks as the elevator car arrives.

Pepper shoots a look at the five Avengers, who were all giving her pleading smiles. "Give it to anyone. Your pick," she says, before stepping into the elevator.

As soon as the elevator doors close, Clint holds out his hand. "Rock, paper, scissors?"

~.~

"I don't understand what's going on, sir," Jarvis says as Tony trudges into his walk-in closet, surveying the different suits.

"I feel on-and-off about this Seventy-first level thing," Tony admits to his AI, running his hands over his vast collection of Pepper-approved ties. "I mean, I feel happy that he's happy, but I feel like he's invading my personal bubble."

"If anything, sir, I can always refuse entry to him should you desire," Jarvis suggests.

Tony opens his mouth, ready to approve this notion when Steve pops into his mind. The genuine and pure happiness that Tony had seen the Captain display last night was seriously a sight for sore eyes and Tony wanted his friend to exude that type of happiness more often; it was a stark contrast to the usual stick-up-the-ass persona he used in dealing with the self-proclaimed billionaire, playboy, genius and philanthropist.

"No, it's okay, Jarvis ," Tony disregards the voice inside of his head telling him to refuse entry. "Just as long as he doesn't find the room."

~.~

* * *

**A/N**: Level? Room? Hmm... So apparently Tony's allowing Steve to access the Seventy-first level, but there's a particular room on that floor that he doesn't want him to access. Why? You're going to have to wait and and see. -winky-

And just FYI, this is the second version of this chapter. The first variation included a very fluffy Pepperony scene but I pulled it out because it stated the reason why Tony did not want anyone on the Seventy-first level; I had made a last minute decision to draw the tension more instead of going straight to the point- dancing around the topic, per se. When this story finishes, I'll post this scene for anyone who is interested.

Thanks a dozen!

~ Jazzy.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Well... This is awkward.

I mean, it's been... Seven months since I updated last, hasn't it? Time sure flies by fast! With all the events happening in my life, I was ready to abandon ship and leave y'all to figure out the room and why Tony's so possessive over the seventy-first level.

But then, late at night, I looked through the whole piece. And I was reminded of why I started the piece in the first place.

So I've decided to continue.

It's 1:25 am in the morning and my iPod's at 80% battery but I will not rest until I have this chapter up for you.

Enjoy!

* * *

~.~

As Tony flew over the New York City skyline in a mad dash to his meeting, he couldn't help but worry.

The Seventy-First level was so precious to him- it held memorabilia from his past, it held the only tokens of his parent's memory, of the bright eyed, selfless and inquisitive child he was before. It held so much sentimental value to him; the floor held the key to unlocking the essence to who he really was. Sure, Steve could pester around in the music hall and draw to his wildest desires in the artist corner, but if he ever found that room-

- all Tony could do was hope.

~.~

Steve climbed the stairs from the dining room to the seventy first floor, sketchbook and the coffee he won from Pepper (oh, what a victorious round of rock, paper, scissors indeed!) clutched gently in his hands.

Looking behind him to make sure he was not being followed, Steve quietly opened the door and slipped inside, demanding Jarvis to lock it shut.

Steve schlepped all the way to the music room, his tired eyes rapidly brightening to the sight of the guitar sitting on the piano by the window. Placing his sketchbook and coffee down on the table by the couch, he pitter-pattered eagerly to the guitar, strumming it a few times to rouse his exhausted memory.

"E flat, G sharp," he muttered happily to himself, the familiar feeling of strings under fingers flowing back to him in a clear focus.

The captain moved his bulk all the way to the couch, gently strumming and humming as he thought about the day's recent events.

It wasn't surprising that Tony was the first thing that came to mind.

Given his behaviour at the breakfast table, Steve knew something was up. He knew it also included him, taking the suspicious stares into consideration. His long pauses, the lack of snarky jokes...

To say he was curious was a bit of an understatement.

(Maybe something happened between him and Pepper?

Oh my god, what if he thought that Steve had taken an interest in Pepper?)

Steve shook his head free of the thoughts, the constant strum of the notes breaking as he did so.

It wasn't his place to wonder.

But... It was his place to wonder what else the seventy first level had for him.

Placing the guitar back where he had found it, Steve took the sketchbook and his coffee, departing the room to explore what other adventures the floor could give him.

~.~

He felt strangely comfortable walking through these halls.

Regardless of the fact that he was still clad in his PJs and most likely had coffee breath, Steve couldn't help but feel familiarity at each step he took within the hallway. Gulping down the remainder of his coffee, Steve opened the door to a storage room, feeling strangely disappointed at the mop and the bucket residing inside.

"Did you need some cleaning supplies, Captain Rogers?" a voice chirped from the ceiling and Steve smiled sheepishly up at the ceiling.

"No, Jarvis," the Captain replied. "Just... looking around."

"Be careful where you explore, sir," the AI responded immediately. Catching a tone where it seemed like Jarvis wanted to add more, Steve narrowed his eyes.

"Anything else, Jarvis?" Steve asked.

The AI didn't bother to dignify his suspicions with a response, instead opting to fall silent.

Suspicious, Steve closed the door to the storage room and observed his surroundings. The still-opened door to the music room was to his left while beside him to his right, there were three other unknown doors. Six doors leading to wonderland (he suspected, he was beginning to think Tony stored a great amount of marijuana somewhere in the level) lay in front of him on the other side while to the right of him, there was a long-winding hallway that led to god-knows-where. Steve closed the storage closet door and headed for the hallway, his footsteps stomping loudly in the silent floor.

- and immediately halted in his footsteps.

At the end of the hallway, there resided a door. But not just any particular door, oh no-

- this door was painted in red, white and blue.

And to add insult to injury, an ancient prototype of his shield hung on the door.

Curiosity fuelling his veins, the captain rushed down the hallway and stopped before he could even think of opening the door.

_It obviously has something to do with me_, Steve thought, his ocean eyes scanning pensively over the door. _That's my shield_.

_Or maybe Tony really loves America_, another delusional voice piped up in his brain.

Steve took a breath.

_Only one way to find out._

He placed his hand on the knob and softly turned i-

- "AVENGERS ASSEMBLE."

* * *

~.~

**A/N**: Bwahaha! xD Steve found the room and he's dying to know what's in it but- oh, my of course there had to be an alarm for the Avengers to assemble. Tsk tsk.

It's 2:09 am right now where I am, so I'm pretty glad I completed this in less than an hour. Expect another chapter to be coming up tomorrow night at the same time- my mind's pretty active at night.

Leave a review! I'd like to know if anyone's still out there reading this!

(- and of course, I haven't forgotten about child's play. I'm just thinking of the perfect holiday one shot, so expect that to come out pretty soon.)

And thus, because I have a headache and I still needa post this on FF and bold and put italics on some words, I must sign off.

Thanks for reading and expect the next chapter tomorrow!

~ Jazzy.

PS. 39 follow, 20 favourites and 24 reviews. I love you all. (:


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